Fire hydrant with releasable actuating shaft



Nov. 23, 1965 J. N. ELDER ETAL FIRE HYDRANT WITH RELEASABLE ACTUA'I'ING SHAFT Filed June 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l J V Z INVENTORS JAMES N. ELDER EARL W. DILG B wmce mscfihgbww Nov. 23, 1965 J. N. ELDER ETAL 3,219,054

FIRE HYDRANT WITH RELEASABLE ACTUATING SHAFT Filed June 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Attorneys- United States Patent 3,219,054 FIRE HYDRANT WITH RELEASABLE ACTUATING SHAFT James N. Elder and Earl W. Dilg, Dayton, Ohio, assignors to The Oherhelman-Ritter Foundry Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed June 26, 1962, Ser. No. 205,406 3 Claims. (Cl. 137-307) This invention relates to a hydrant structure. More particularly this invention relates to a fire hydrant structure or the like.

An object of this invention is to provide a hydrant having a valve located below ground level, a housing extending above ground level, and a valve operating mechanism extending from the housing to the valve and arranged to be released if the housing is broken or displaced as by an impact from a vehicle or the like so that valve parts buried belowground level are not injured upon such an impact.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hydrant structure of this type in which the valve mechanism includes a valve stem which carries a valve disc and is threaded inside a rotatable nut having an upright, noncircular opening therein which receives a lower end of a valve operating shaft in telescopic relation therewith so that, when the valve operating shaft is turned, the valve is raised or lowered and in which the housing carries a cap at its upper end in which a valve operating plug is rotatably mounted, the lower end of the plug having a downwardly Opening non-circular socket in which an upper end of the valve operating shaft is received in telescopic relation, the shaft normally being held between the plug and the valve operating nut, the shaft being adapted to come free of the plug and the valve operating nut when the housing is displaced, as by an impact.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains from the following detailed description, and the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in vertical section of a hydrant constructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation on a reduced scale showing the hydrant structure following displacement of an upper housing thereof upon an impact;

FIG. 3 is a view in section taken on a line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in upright section showing the valve operating plug and valve operating shaft in released position;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view in upright section showing the lower end of the valve operating shaft separated from the valve operating nut;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section taken on the line 33 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a view in section taken on the line 7--7 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section taken on the line 8-8 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section taken on the line 99 in FIG. 1, partly broken away to show details of construction; and

FIG. 10 is a view in section taken on the line 1010 in FIG. 1.

In the following detailed description, and the drawing, like reference characters indicate like parts.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hydrant includes a hollow upper housing 10, a hollow lower housing 12, a hollow valve housing 13 at the lower end of the lower housing, and a cap 14 closing the upper end of the upper housing 10. The valve housing can be connected to a water main 15, as shown in FIG. 2. The hydrant is mounted with the valve housing buried in the ground 16 to prevent freezing and with the lower housing 12 extending upwardly just above ground level.

Inside the valve housing 13 is mounted a valve seat and spider member 17. The member 17 includes an annular body 19 threaded inside an upwardly facing opening 18 in the valve housing 13. A gasket 21 (FIG. 6) forms a seal between the member 17 and the valve housing 13. As shown in FIG. 1, arms 22 and 23 extend upwardly from the body 19 and support a ring bearing 24. Inside the ring bearing 24 is journalled a main valve operating nut 26. As shown in FIG. 9, a lock nut 27 threaded on the valve operating nut 26 holds the nut in position inside the ring bearing 24 with an annular flange 27a of the nut 26 overlying an upper end of the ring bearing 24. An upright valve stem 28 is threaded inside the valve operating nut 26. I

The lower end of the valve stem 28 carries a valve disc 29 (FIGS. 1 and 3). The disc 29 is secured between a valve guide 31 and a packing nut 32. The valve guide 31 is mounted on the valve stem 28 and engages a shoulder 33 thereon (FIG. 1). The packing nut 32 is threaded to the valve stem 28. Pressure of water inside the valve housing urges the valve disc 29 against a valve seat 36 (FIG. 6) on the valve seat and spider member 17 toclose the valve. The valve guide 31, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, includes outwardly extending wing memhers 38 and 39. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the Wing member 39 is received in an upright way 41 in the valve seat and spider member 17 to prevent rotation of the valve guide 31. As shown in FIG. 3, the valve guide 31 is keyed to the valve stem 28 by a key 42 so that the valve stem 28, the valve guide 31 and the valve disc 29 are held against turning as they are raised or lowered. A boss 43 in the valve housing 13 limits downward movement of the valve stem and valve disc.

The valve operating nut 26 is turned by means of a valve operating shaft 44. As shown in FIG. 7, the shaft 44 is square in cross-section. A coupling 46 (FIGS. 1 and 3) is mounted on the lower end of the shaft 44 by means of a pin 47. The coupling 46 includes a boss 48 of square cross-section which fits inside a square opening 49 in the valve operating nut 26. A shoulder 50 of the coupling 49 rests on a top face 50a of the nut 26 to support the shaft 44. As shown in FIG. 7, the upper end of the shaft 44 extends into a socket 51, in a rotary plug 52. The plug 52 is rotatably mounted in upright ore 53 (FIG. 1) in the cap 14. An upwardly projecting portion 54 of the plug 52 is provided with a wrench flat 56 so that the plug 52 can be turned to rotate the valve. operating nut 26 and raise or lower the valve stem 28 (see FIG. 9) and the valve disc 29. When the valve is open, water pressure inside the housings drives the rotary plug 52 upwardly to compress a ring gasket 58 (FIG. 1) between a flange 59 of the plug 52 and the underside of the cap 14 to prevent flow of water around the plug 52. The upper housing 10 is provided with side arms 61 and 62. Caps 63 (only one of which 'is shown) mounted on the side arms can be removed so that hoses (not shown) can be attached to the hydrant in the usual fashion.

The upper housing 10 and the lower housing 12 are connected by bolts 65 (FIG. 1) which extend through openings in flanges 66 and 67 of the housings 10 and 12, respectively. Normally, when the cap 14 is in place, the valve operating shaft 44 is held captive between the rotary plug 52 and the valve operating nut 26 with the shaft 44 being held in telescoping connections thereof with a little end play desirable so that the gasket 58 is not normally held under compression. In case of an impact, as by a vehicle or the like, the upper housing can be displaced, as shown in FIG. 2, either by shearing of the bolts 65 or by failure of a portion of one of the housing flanges. If desired, the bolts 65 can be formed of metal of reduced thickness or otherwise can be formed of material which is sutficiently weak that impact causes shearing of the bolts before other parts of the housing fail. When the upper housing is displaced, as shown in FIG. 2, the telescoping connections at the upper and lower ends of the shaft 44 permit the shaft 44 to be released, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, so that the impact does not injure the valve and valve operating mechanism at the base of the hydrant. Accordingly, even when the hydrant is injured by impact, there is little or no loss of water, and the hydrant can readily be repaired as by replacing bolts or replacing parts which may fail without necessity for digging up the valve housing or replacing portions of the valve itself.

When the valve is closed, water inside the upper and lower housings can escape through drain holes 71 and 72 (FIG. 6) which extend through the valve housing 13 and the body 19 of the valve seat and spider member 17 and can communicate with a groove 73 in the wing member 39 when the valve is closed. When the valve is open, the wing member 39 overlies the inner end of the opening 72, as shown in FIG. 6, to prevent any substantial escape of water therethrough during use.

The hydrant construction illustrated in the drawing and described above is subject to structural modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A hydrant which comprises a hollow valve housing, a valve seat in the valve housing, a bearing mounted in the valve housing in alignment with the valve seat, a valve operating nut rotatably mounted in the bearing, an upright valve stem mounted in the valve operating nut in threaded engagement therewith, means preventing rotation of said stem relative to said housing, a valve member mounted on said valve stem and engageable with the valve seat to close the valve, said nut having a socket therein extending axially of the valve stem, a hollow elongated main housing extending upwardly from the valve housing in alignment with the valve stem, a cap closing an upper end of the main housing, a valve operating plug rotatably mounted in the cap in alignment with the axis of the valve stem, said plug having a downwardly opening socket therein, an elongated shaft extending from the plug to the nut, end portions of the shaft being telescopically and nonrotatably received in the sockets of the plug and of the valve operating nut, the shaft being releasable from both of the sockets upon displacement of the main housing.

2. A hydrant which comprises a hollow valve housing, a valve seat mounted in the valve housing, a bearing mounted in the valve housing in alignment with the valve seat, a valve operating nut rotata'bly mounted in the hearing, an upright valve stem mounted in the valve operating nut in threaded engagement therewith, means preventing rotation of said stern relative to said housing, a valve member mounted on said valve stem and engageable with the valve seat to close the valve, said nut having a socket therein extending axially of the valve stem, a hollow elongated main housing extending upwardly from the valve housing in alignment with the valve stem, a cap closing an upper end of the main housing, a valve operating plug rotatably mounted in the cap in alignment with the axis of the valve stem, said plug having a downwardly opening socket therein, an elongated shaft extending from the plug to the nut, an upper end portion of the shaft being telescopically and non-rotatably received in the socket of the plug, a coupling member mounted on a lower end portion of the shaft, said coupling member including a body surrounding the lower end portion of the shaft and a boss telescopically and non-rotatably received in the socket of the valve operating nut, the body of the coupling member resting on the nut to support the shaft, the shaft and the coupling member being releasable from the sockets upon displacement of the main housing.

3. A hydrant which comprises a hollow valve housing, a valve seat member mounted in the valve housing, a bearing mounted in the valve housing in alignment with the valve seat, a valve operating nut rotatably mounted in the bearing, an upright valve stem mounted in the valve operating nut in threaded engagement therewith, a valve member mounted on said valve stem and engageable with the valve seat to close the valve, an upright guide arm attached to the valve member, an upright way mounted on the valve seat member and extending upwardly therefrom and receiving the guide arm to prevent rotation of the valve member, a hollow elongated main housing extending upwardly from the valve housing in alignment with the valve stem, there being a drain opening in the valve housing communicating with the interior of the way, said guide arm closing the drain opening when the valve is open, said guide arm providing flow communication between the interior of the main housing and the drain opening permitting release of liquid from the interior of the main housing when the valve is closed, said nut having a socket therein extending axially of the valve stem, a cap closing an upper end of the main housing, a valve operating plug rotatably mounted in the cap in alignment with the axis of the valve stem, said plug having a downwardly opening socket therein, an elongated shaft extending from the plug to the nut, end portions of the shaft being telescopically and non-rotatably received in the sockets of the plug and of the valve operating nut, the shaft being releasable from both of the sockets upon displacement of the main housing.

References Cited by the, Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 149,628 4/1874 Allen 137-307 2,980,125 4/ 1961 Grant 137-68 ISADOR WEI'L, Primary Examiner. 

1. A HYDRANT WHICH COMPRISES A HOLLOW VALVE HOUSING, A VALVE SEAT IN THE VALVE HOUSING, A BEARING MOUNTED IN THE VALVE HOUSING IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE VALVE SEAT, A VALVE OPERATING NUT ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN THE BEARING, AN UPRIGHT VALVE STEM MOUNTED IN THE VALVE OPERATING NUT IN THREADED ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, MEANS PREVENTING ROTATION OF SAID STEM RELATIVE TO SAID HOUSING, A VALVE MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID VALVE STEM AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE VALVE SEAT TO CLOSE THE VALVE, SAID NUT HAVING A SOCKET THEREIN EXTENDING AXIALLY OF THE VALVE STEM, A HOLLOW ELONGATED MAIN HOUSING EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE VALVE HOUSING IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE VALVE STEM, A CAP CLOSING AN UPPER END OF THE MAIN HOUSING, A VALVE OPERATING PLUG ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN THE CAP IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE AXIS OF THE VALVE STEM, SAID PLUG HAVING A DOWNWARDLY OPENING SOCKET THEREIN, AN ELONGATED SHAFT EXTENDING FROM THE PLUG TO THE NUT, END PORTIONS OF THE SHAFT BEING TELESCOPICALLY AND NONROTATABLY RECEIVED IN THE SOCKETS OF THE PLUG AND OF THE VALVE OPERATING NUT, THE SHAFT BEING RELEASABLE FROM BOTH OF THE SOCKETS UPON DISPLACEMENT OF THE MAIN HOUSING. 